Every day, I feature one funny-sounding word from the English language.

Saturday, January 31, 2009

If My 66-Yr-Old Mom Has a Blog, I Should too

Hi there and welcome to my blog. I've been thinking about starting one for quite some time but honestly didn't think anyone would care what I had to say (and that remains to be seen). However, when I discovered that my 66-year-old mother, an artist, had tons of followers on her blog (http://studio78notes.blogspot.com/), I figured there were enough people with time on their hands to be mildly interested in mine as well.

I live in New York City and absolutely love its energy, variety and honest attitude but there are definitely things that annoy me about it on a daily basis. I'll start with ones that are subway-related:

1) I'm amazed at how many people won't get up for a pregnant woman. I spot passengers all the time--mostly men--pretending to be caught up in their newspaper or iPod so they don't have to relinquish their prized seat for a woman who is carrying another person in her belly. I understand no one wants to mistakenly accuse a heavy-set woman of being pregnant but if someone who looks like she has a giant basketball in her stomach is standing in front of you, for god's sake, offer her your seat! If you have two feet and you're in decent health, you can stand for one ride.

2) I hate when I'm holding onto the pole on a subway car and another person who's also gripping it keeps sliding theirs down until it touches mine. Then, when I adjust my hand to a lower spot on the pole, theirs somehow ends up on top of it again. Seriously, there's enough room on the pole for several people's hands to rest with space in between. Please stop touching me.

3) Why, oh why, do people insist on doing gross or weird things while they're riding the subway? These acts include clipping one's nails (absolutely disgusting!), picking their nose, falling asleep on their neighbor's shoulder, preaching to passengers at the top of their lungs, and eating smelly, greasy foods. I have also seen someone munching on pumpkin seeds and dropping the shells on the floor of the car. I feel bad for the poor souls who have to clean up after them. If you have a home and are your way to it, PLEASE save these activities for a private place. No one wants to spend their ride seeing or hearing you trim your fingernails.

4) People who rush onto the train at a station before letting the passengers off are obnoxious. In 9 out of 10 cases, the train is not going to leave without you. So have some courtesy and make some room for the exiting passengers before you push your way in.

That said, I am a fan of the subway system. More times than not, it beats other modes of transportation like the bus or a taxi cab. When an obese, ratty man--possibly just released from a mental institution--recently squeezed his stinky body into the tiny space next to mine and started reciting every subway crash in history, I didn't love it so much. But as soon as I moved cars at the next station, I was able to sit in enjoyable silence, reading my book and letting someone else deliver me home.